a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel phospholipase, and more specifically to an oxidized phospholipid degrading enzyme playing an important role in the oxidized phospholipid elimination mechanism in animal cytoplasm and also to a gene coding the same.
b) Description of the Related Art
It is known that under diverse oxygen stress, a phospholipid as a membrane-forming component is oxidized to cause various troubles on an organism. The organism is considered to be equipped with a protective mechanism against such oxygen stress so that an oxidized phospholipid formed under oxygen stress would be promptly hydrolyzed by an oxidized phospholipid degrading enzyme to avoid any trouble, which could otherwise occur by a chain oxidative reaction, and also to facilitate restoration of phospholipid molecules.
Regarding the oxidized phospholipid degrading enzyme playing the important role in the protective mechanism, there is the view that phospholipase A.sub.2 known to catalyze the splitting of normal phospholipids also plays the role (Sevanian, A., Stein, R. A. and Mead, J. F., Lipids 16, 781-789, 1981). For the low oxidized-phospholipid degrading activity of phospholipase A.sub.2, however, it has been considered that another enzyme plays this role in actual organisms.